The Immortal War
by Empirialtank
Summary: Asura the Demon God has been free for nearly half a year and now he moves against his greatest enemy Death. To destroy the shibusen he enlists the aid of the 13 immortals and their followers. How can Spartoi defeat foes that can't be killed?
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater or any of the other characters I rip off from any other story contained herein. All rights go to the original authors. Any individual who reads this should go out and buy the latest chapter of Soul Eater made available within their respective country._

_Note 1: bear with me here, it will take another chapter before a main protagonist from soul eater shows up. This is due to the fact that I really prefer the villains to heroes in this story. _

_Note 2: Fifteen points to anyone who can guess which character I am ripping off to create the other villains in this story. A few hints, only a handful of them are from other manga. One of them is a Steven King villain, another is an HP Lovecraft protagonist. _

_Note 3: If you're reading this and A: You think my grammar or story structure could use some improvement; B: You think you know how it could be improved. And C: you have way to much free time on your hand, send me a PM and I would love any helpful suggestion you could give me and would probably benefit from having you as a beta. I would find my own betas but everyone I ask says yes and then vanishes off the face of the earth never to be heard from again._

_Note 4: If you like it write a review. Enjoy._

Prologue: Forces at work.

In the beginning, there were many forces at work, molding the infinite expanse of the void. These forces mixed and smashed together under the careful supervision of the heavenly gods, and brought many lesser things into existence. But the gods of hell looked down on these lesser things and allowed them to die in the very chaos that had birthed them. Others sought their destruction, and so nothing could truly begin at all. The gods of heaven did not react well to this, and the first war of the Sides began, raging on beyond time's measure. Until at last, the very forces being fought over solved the problem themselves. Determined to live and embrace the power of creation, the forces brought forth something that not even the gods, in all their power, could destroy. In an instant, the things that were made would survive until the end of time. In that moment, the first true being saw all of history, and saw His place at the end of it. He was, and would never cease to be. The first immortal was born.

He did not have the power of the gods, nor did he share in their wisdom. However, He was, and He could not be destroyed. He acted as a shield and allowed the forces to go on, giving shape and time to the universe. The gods stopped fighting and looked upon what had been made because of Him, and the first war ended.

To honor Him, a law was written that nothing would be allowed to harm the Immortal or anything else that came after Him or His kind. All of heaven and hell swore to uphold this law, as did the Elders and the Old Ones who came after the war. For a time, there was peace amongst all those who were truly eternal. It lasted much longer than many thought it would. It was broken only once, on a small blue world orbiting around a small, insignificant star. And the Immortals who lived on that world did not take kindly to it at all.

Chapter 1: Conversations in the Dark.

In the Canadian Rockies as far removed from the deserts of Death's castle as one could get without leaving the continent there was a small seemingly unimportant cave. If one had looked carefully at it one could've noticed that the goats and creatures of the mountain avoided the cave at all cost. If one had looked even more carefully at they could have noticed that in the right light it looked rather much like a snake's mouth. If one had listened very carefully to the cave they could've heard chanting from deep within.

"Nake, Snake, Cobra." A female voice chanted from within. The voice was just deep enough to be creepy and at the same time just friendly enough to be inviting. The voice rebounded off the walls of the cave and out of its entrance making the air thicker and heavier with its coming and going.

The voice originated from a middle aged woman in a black hood hunched over a crystal ball. She was not looking at the ball itself but rather was wrapped around it with her eyes closed. She was concentrating on the flow of energy around the world and unlike most people who came up to mountains to meditate she could actually feel it. She could feel it because she was a witch and a damned good one at that to. She had outsmarted huge organizations, manipulated armies and battles, awakened a dark god and unleashed him on an unsuspecting world and even beaten Death himself at his own game. She had done it all with just her own strength and the help of a handful of trusted companions. Her name was Medusa and she was arguable the second most evil being on the planet at that moment.

At the moment she was merely waiting patiently. She had five agents out in the world watching and waiting. They were gathering information about the latest clash between the followers of the Death God and the insanity rising in the world.

She rather hated the Death God. Most witches did, partly because he had ordered the extermination of all witches in the world and partly because most of what witches did for a living was defying god and he was the major god in the world at the moment. The real reason why she hated him though was simple jealousy. He was free to kill and destroy anything he wanted at any time he wanted to, he had huge organizations built around fulfilling his wishes, he decided the fate of nations, he had and did everything she wanted to do and tried to do and the world worshiped him for it. But she had stuck it to him. With the assistance of six witches, her daughter and one powerful warrior she had unleashed the ultimate evil on the world, an evil the Death God had sacrificed his mobility and lives of his greatest friends to defeat. She was still quite interested in how that last one would turn out.

So far it had led to her sister's resurrection, which Medusa wasn't too excited about, and had worked rather hard to reverse, and now it had led to a mad man trying to fit the world down into a small book. She had used her sister's revival to gain a new body but this latest threat she hadn't been able to manipulate to the decree she would've preferred. So she had sent the other witches out into the world to gather information about how this latest battle would end and when the next one would start. And another one would start, so long as the Demon God was out it the world she could be certain of that.

"Nake, Snake, Cobra." She chanted again. She had to be patience now; she couldn't scheme without more information. Patience was a virtue, even in witches.

"Hey I got one, why does the porridge bird lay his egg in the air?" A powerful but nonetheless annoying voice asked interrupting her meditation. Patience apparently wasn't a virtue in Werewolves. The voice came from a very large and muscular man who was sitting against the cave wall. He had black hair and wore a prisoner's, stripped uniform complete with a ball and chain wrapped around his leg. He also had a very strange left eye, instead of a pupil it had a pentagram drawn in it and the words 'no future' written over it.

"I don't understand how to answer." A melancholy female voice answered, this one belonged to her daughter Chrona. Medusa had never really seen her as a daughter though; she was more of an experiment really. A very successful experiment admittedly, but nothing more than an experiment.

"It's easy you just open your mouth and make sounds with it." A high pitched male voice screeched from Chrona's back as shadows melted out her body and solidified into a black lizard like thing. This was Ragnarok; Chrona's demon weapon as well as her blood.

"Dear god free," Medusa howled in response to the man, "How many times do have to tell you to be quiet?"

"How many times have you told me so far?" the tall man asked.

"Thirty times today," Medusa responded, she had been counting.

"At least thirty more than," Free said with a smile. He was really growing on her nerves and she wondered from time to time why she put up with him. He had already played a key part in many of her schemes but those were over and if she really needed some muscle she could call it in from any of a dozen sources. And all of those men would have a much better sense of direction and wouldn't impale themselves with their own magic and they probably wouldn't annoy the hell out of her like this. But on the other hand all of those other men always had a chance of failing and losing, but Free never lost and he would never fail. It might take him a month to finally win but in the end he would win, by sheer endurance he could overcome anything.

_Knowing you, Man of the Demon eye it's probably more like three hundred times. _Something said. She couldn't quite call it a voice, because nothing had really spoken. There was no sound to it at all, the words just appeared in her head as if someone had just said them and now she was remembering it. But while she knew no voice had spoken them she still remembered what the voice had sounded like. It would've been a very deep voice that radiated power and gravity. It would've been a voice totally sure of itself and completely self reliant. It would've been a lot of things but no one had really spoken. But she knew where it had come from.

The man, she assumed it was a man, was standing at the cave's entrance looking in on them. He was fairly tall and was covered in a black cloak and hood. His hands were covered in black armored gauntlets. She couldn't make out his face or any of his body from that matter. The cloak looked black but it wasn't quite black. It was dark. Most people wore black to make themselves stand out and look cool and stylish, but this was a black to blend in. It had specks of gray and lighter shades of black to it so in the darkness it looked like a shadow or just another stone and that was impressive.

"Oh and do you know me stranger?" Free responded with a smile on his face, "I certainly don't know anyone a dark and depressing as you."

"Who the hell are you?" Medusa demanded to know as she came out of the stupor created by the man's unexpected arrival, and she summoned up a set of black arrows to surround her body.

_Come on my friend I'm sure you can remember if you really think about it. _The soundless voice countered to Free completely ignoring Medusa.

"Eh? I think I asked you a question." She said as she fired the long black arrows at the intruder. Normally they would've torn through his body like he was made of tissue paper, instead it bounced off his cloak like he was made of rubber.

"Tch." She sighed, "Why do I even bother these days?" She added as she thrust her hands forward. On her back and her arms the long black snake tattoos that covered her extremities came to life and flowed off of her body and rushed at her foe growing larger as they neared him. The intruder didn't even glance at them instead he raised her hand and caught the first one that came at him. For a moment the world seemed to twist around his hand and Medusa felt her magic being torn out her body and the snakes froze in mid air. Then they repositioned themselves around the intruder. He studied them with interest and silence for some time.

_You take magic and compress it down into the ink giving it a physical root as well as a subtle programming and form. Impressive and creative, but you rely a bit too much on the shock of the attack rather than the potential power and since there is no way to reprogram them once their released their attacks will become a bit predictable. Good work all around though. _

"Hey come on man no need to show off and be cruel about she's a very good witch so cut her some slack." Free chimed in.

_I was complementing her. _

"Sure you were,"

"What the hell is going on here?" Medusa demanded to know from Free this time rather than from the intruder. "Who the hell is this man?"

"Oh right I forgot to introduce you." Free said with that stupid smile still plastered to his face, "Ah-hem, this is the Witch-King."

Medusa stared at him for a moment or two. "No he's not. Witch's bow to no leader so we can't have a monarch and even if we did it certainly wouldn't be a man." She snidely asserted.

"What about Mabaa-sama?" Free countered referring to the head of the world wide witch coven the so called Witch Queen.

"That's different, she's…"

_Your mother, _The intruder finished for her.

"That's just an old legend, Mabaa is not my mother." Medusa dismissed.

_True technically she is you great grandmother. _

"She's just a very old senior witch,"

_Just like she was when your grandmother was a witch just like she has been since the first witches walked the earth but they didn't disguise the truth like you do. _

"As if it matters. It doesn't change what I said before."

"Yes it does." Free said,

"How?"

"Well if Mabaa is the mother of all witches than it follows that there must have been a father right? That father would be the husband of the Witch Queen, which would be called the Witch King." Free said motioning to the intruder who nodded and reached into his cloak. He pulled out a small yellow wrapper and handed it over to Medusa.

_Candy?_ He said like an estranged father would and for some reason she couldn't quite understand she reached out and took it from him. As she did her snakes left his side and wrapped back around her body returning to her control as they did. She stared at him in utter disbelief.

"That's still impossible," She protested, "He would have to be thousands of years old, and even if he was there's no way he could be so calm right now."

"Why not?' Free queried.

"You stole Mabaa's eye remember wouldn't her husband be rather pissed off about that?"

"Pfft," Free dismissed, "Like he still cares about that old hag he hasn't slept with her in mill-" Free cut off as the Witch King suddenly smashed him across his jaw.

_Yeah about that, _He said as he shook some blood off his steal gloves. Free quickly got up off the ground wiping some blood away from his lower lip and continuing to smile as he did. The Witch king held his hand behind him and the world twisted his hand again as suddenly a sword flew into his grip.

"Wolf and wolves and wolves and wolf," Free chanted to himself as a magic circle appeared in his hand and a second later his arm was covered in a sharpened ice spike. The same moment he rushed the Witch King howling wildly as he ran at him. The attack was wild and could've been easily blocked or dodged but his target didn't move he simply swung his sword around and thrust straight at Free's chest. The warriors impaled each other and staggered backwards. 

"Don't worry," Free said as he pulled the sword out of his chest.

_It doesn't even hurt. _The intruder added as he crushed the icicle in his chest.

"_After all I'm immortal,"_ They concluded together.

"Are you two done?" Medusa inquired in a casual tone of voice as if she saw more amazing things getting out of bed this morning.

"More or less," Free stated.

_I still have a bone to pick with you over my wife's eye. _

"Oh come on I spent two hundred years in jail over that, isn't that enough."

_Oh you poor thing spent a whole two hundred years in jail did you? Spend two thousand and I might just think about forgiving you. _

"Huh," Free dismissed, "Still I doubt you came all the way down from your black tower just to slug me over a past fling you had. So what's up?"

_I had an unusual visitor come over about a month ago and I would just love it if you would come to meet him. _

"I bet you would,"

_Care to guess who it was?_

"No, I don't care."

_I think you do, you did swear an oath to him once, an oath left unfinished. _

"An oath sworn almost a thousand years ago; an oath we all failed to uphold and an oath I would rather like to forget exists."

_The blood cries out we must answer it and give it peace. _

"So where have we been these last thousand years?" 

_Waiting._

"Yeah right, we've been cowering in shadows and dungeons hoping that he would forget about us and the blood would go silent."

_It hasn't but now we have a chance to fulfill our oath and give it peace. _

"You expect us to overcome a thousand years of cowardice and rise up now of all times? You might be willing and some of the other might but you can count me out."

_Could've fooled me, you set him free after all._

"Only as a favor to this witch here."

_Yeah right. _

"I ain't doing it." Free declared with an obvious growl in his voice.

_So the wrath of nature is just going to sit in a cave oblivious to greatest battle of our time taking place just a few hundred miles to the south of here? I know you better than that 'Free'._

"You only think you do." The Witch King simply than stared a Free for several long moments as if daring him to prove him wrong. After a while Free breathed deeply, resigning himself to the inevitable. "How many have joined you so far?"

_The Lifeless King, The Reanimator-_

"You mean the Alchemist?"

_He's calling himself 'The Reanimator' these days. The Cultist has also joined us. The Man of the North has also agreed to help me but only if the Black Knight joins as well. I was on my way to see him when I sensed you nearby. The Pope has received my request to use the Black Clown and he hasn't refused it yet so he's probably going to join us. _

"What about the Twins and others?"

_I can't find them._

"Not even the Dullahan? Doesn't she have a fortress in Ireland she always lives at?"

_She left about twenty years ago looking for her head and no one knows where she is now. The Swordsman went missing five years ago as well; no one knows what happened to him._

"Damn. Well, I can easily find the twins if you want me to, and they can find anyone."

_I would appreciate it. I'll break my soul protector when it's time to start._

"I'll be looking for it," And with that the intruder to leave. At the entrance of the cave he paused and looked back at them.

_Are you going to take that Witch with you?_

"Are you going to forbid her from coming?"

_What makes you think that?_

"I noticed you didn't mention if the Witch Queen would join us."

_She's much too old and thanks to SOMEONE here she doesn't see too well anymore._

"Medusa will do what she wants to and no one can stop her." The man shrugged at that and then left.

"What was that all about?" Medusa asked after remaining silent for far longer than she would've like to.

"Oh nothing much. We're just making plans to kill the Death God."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Recruiter.

It is difficult to realize just how massive Tokyo city really is. The fact that 12 million people call this massive city their home is difficult to come to terms with the first time someone comes to the city. Unless of course that someone happens to really love or really hate the human race. Which is why Medusa has absolutely refused to come to the city and Free had to make the journey himself. Free was much more tolerant of human beings than he would've sounded at first. Generally speaking, he could easily become friends with a human, even with a human who had little to no respect for nature. But even this was just too much for him. He wanted to kill something and he wanted to do it now. He didn't though; he had a mission, a mission which involved him going from one place to another in a straight line which he wasn't one of his strong suits. So now he was lost and was wandering in a city of people dressed in a prisoner's uniform with a ball and chain around his foot. Fortunately this was the one city where that could pass for normal.

And admittedly there were many far weirder things going on around him. There was a woman asking people if she could help them find lost things. There was a tall black man asking people to come and enjoy some unique 'Russian Sushi' that he promised had absolutely no human meat in it. Free was mildly disappointed in that though. Still he wandered on looking for something that even people in this city would consider out of the ordinary.

A dullahn is not an easy thing to hide. As far as farea go they are some of the most active spirits in the world and rather public especially while they were looking for their heads and liable to steal those of other's. Plus one of them hadn't been seen in hundreds of years so if one suddenly turned up it would inevitably make a commotion of some kind or another. Yet for all of Free's searching and for all of Medusa's connections they couldn't find any mention or legend of one turning up in all of the world. This meant that she was prowling in a place so isolated that no news could come from it; or in a place so public that everyone just assumed you already knew about her.

So she was either here in Tokyo or somewhere in the Himalayas and since he had to come to Japan anyway now Free was stuck looking for her in a city crawling with humans and a quickly wearing temper. Anyone else who looked as far down on humans as he did would've gone crazy right about then and started killing people left and right. But Free had one advantage no other immortal could boast. He had very attentive ears.

"I'm telling you old man she doesn't need a head." A voice declared in the distance.

"She had a head when I first saw her and I am going to draw her as I remember." A much older voice answered. Free turned to face the sound focusing in on it and ignoring everything else. The conversation was going on between two men, one was an old man sitting with a large note pad in front of him and several pens and pencils at his side. The other was a much younger man wearing a doctor's uniform.

"But you can't remember her head and since her body is so beautiful as it is, I don't see why you have to stress yourself out trying to remember a head for her." The young man swooned like he was describing a maiden who had enchanted his heart.

"I am going to draw what I want to and you can't stop me." The old man persisted.

"A Dullahan without a head eh? Sounds like bad business to me." Free said coming to rest behind the old man looking over his shoulder at the drawing. It was a very good likeness of the Dullahan on the back of her headless horse cradling her severed head in her arms. The head itself was nothing more than a blank circle where the artist obviously intended to eventually draw in the remaining details.

"And what would you know about it stranger?" The doctor asked.

"Only what the old legends say. If a Dullahan loses her head she has to go looking for it and if she's busy looking for it she can't perform her real job as a ferryman."

"A ferryman?"

"Sure, like the Black Clown or the Twins, spirits in charge of escorting the dead to the afterlife. The Black Clown takes you up to heaven or down to hell, the Twins take those unworthy of either to their next life and the Dullahan takes warriors, too noble for hell but tainted by blood and therefore outlawed from heaven, to a place where they can find eternal rest."

"So if she's looking for her head than there will be lots of ghosts building up around the world as warriors die?"

"You got it."

"You know I can honestly say I have never heard a legend like that before." The doctor said.

"And he would know after all he's the local authority on the subject." The old added.

"Oh? So do you know her then?" Free asked. The young man went silent and blushed ever so slightly but he maintained eye contact and tried to stare Free down. It didn't work.

"I've seen her once." The old man stated, "Back in Ireland I saw her rushing past our house one night just like I drew her in this picture."

"I bet you did," Free answered without taking his eyes off of the young doctor. "Well enough about old myths and legends, how about a bit more recent gossip. Do either of you know where I might find Heiwajima Shizou?"

"Heiw-w-w-ajima Shi-i-izou!" The old man stuttered in disbelief.

"Yes, you can usually find him down in the red light district this time of day making his rounds collecting debts from people." The doctor stated plainly.

"Ah, thanks for the information," Free said and turned to go.

"Wait, you can't go." The old man pleaded "Look I don't know what you have heard but Shizou is a monster of a man. He's the strongest man in the city with a real short temper. If you even look at him the wrong way he'll tear you in half."

"I'm counting on it."

Skip

On the other side of Tokyo three men gathered in a dark alley. One of them was dressed in a suit with long brown hair and a pair of glasses. Next to him stood a very tall man with short blond hair wearing a pair of sun glasses and a bartender's outfit while he smoked a cigarette. They were staring down a man dressed in rugged clothes with a worried look on his face.

"And so you see wi-wi-with my wife suffering from tuberculosis like that I couldn't leave her side and get-t-t-t-t you your money so please all I need is a little more time and I will get it for you I swear." The ragged worried man concluded what certainly had been a very long explanation.

"I see, so what's the name of your wife again?" The cigarette man asked.

"My-my wife? Yes I see I would know my wife's name right its-its-its-" But before the worried man could finish the bartender punched him in the face. The punch was a straight shot the sort that normal people would use to forcefully get someone's attention, just enough force to shut their jaws and make them think very seriously about how the next few minutes can go. This shot sent the ragged man flying three dozen feet through the air to crash into the side of a parked car and leave a dent in its side.

"The hell is wrong with you!" The bartender demanded to know as he pulled the cigarette from his mouth snapped it in two and smothered it on the ground. "You come to us with this lameass story and you can't even come up with a little detail like your wife's name? If you're going to put so little effort into avoiding your debt that I guess you can't complain when I beat the hell out of you."

The man in the suit and glasses simply shook his head and looked down on the ground in disdain. He had been working with Shizou for about a year by that point and had known for years before that. Debt collection was a perfect job for a man whose hideous strength and berserk temper had gotten him fired from every other job in Tokyo. Every now and again he would send a 'customer' or two flying but it all ensured that most people simply crapped themselves and paid up the moment they saw him coming.

"Hey there," a new man, dressed in a striped shirts and pants with a strip of cloth covering his left eye, said as he picked the cigarette up off the ground the flicked it at Shizou's head. "You know you really shouldn't litter like this."

"Oh and what are you going to do about it?" Shizou inquired as turned to face the intruder with madness in his eyes.

"I might just clean you up," The new man declared as he came face to face with Shizou. He was slightly taller than the bartender and much more muscular. Not that mattered, Shizou could take down an elephant without even trying and he soon proved it. Without missing a beat the bartender grabbed the intruder lifted him over his head and threw him at the nearest telephone pole and wrapped the man's body around it.

The other man approached Shizou and put a hand on his shoulder trying to calm him down, "Was that really nece-" He started to asked but then he froze as he saw the stranger pick himself up and straighten out his back, which had been completely folded around the pole.

The man returned Shizou's glare with a smirk and look of madness in his eye. He took up a mantis fighting stance and charged. Shizou shot forward and smashed the man in the forehead and was struck in the chest by him. Both of them were knocked, though the other man went much farther, but he got right back up and charged again. The bartender grabbed a lamppost and yanked it out of the ground and twisted it around and smashed his opponent right across the head. The man flipped over the pole but kept on coming forcing Shizou back with relentless jabs at his chest.

The bartender fell back and swung the lamppost around his head and smacked his enemy in the chest and sent him flying across the street into an on rushing buss. The man stood back up after being run over leapt into the air and did a spinning kick to bring the ball and chain around his ankle right around at Shizou's head. He ducked, caught the flying man, flipped him over his head and threw him into a building. He got back and charged again. It went on for quite some time.

The third man simply looked on in utter disbelief at the sight of the fight. He had never seen anyone last this long against Shizou. Even gangs and mobs could barely last a few minutes against him but this poor bugger just wouldn't stay down. Any normal man would be dead by now. And this impossible endurance was working to his advantage. Even while restraining himself, Shizou could break his own bones and if he fought all out for this long he would start to tear his own body apart.

At about the moment when he would've guessed that Shizou was endanger of falling apart the man's fighting style suddenly changed. He chanted briefly under his breath and brought his fingers together. The moment he did ice began to grow around his adversary's' feet and brought him to a halt. When he fell over more ice rose around his hands pinning him to the ground.

"Damn son!" Free shouted, "You certainly can put up a fight but why don't calm down for a moment and let's talk seriously for a moment." Shizou fought against the ice in vain for a few moments and then stopped and looked up at his foe.

"What the hell are you?"

"I'm Immortal,"

"That's pretty cheap."

"Deal with it."

"Tch." Shizou sighed, "So did Izaya send you?"

"Never met an Izaya,"

"Short guy with a brown hair a coat with a fur lining and red eyes?"

"Never met him,"

"So what brings you down here Immortal?'

"I need your help."

"Seems like you can do anything I can do pretty well."

"It's not just fighting I need your help with, and even with that one immortal won't be enough. I need you to help me find a 'headless rider' I think you're well acquainted with."

"And why would I lead you to Celty?"

"Because after a fight like that you know me and you know I am serious. Besides I can tell her a few things that no one else can."

"You know her?"

"Used to,"

"Why do you need me to find her?"

"Cause those god damn twins won't let me know where she is," Free lamented.

"You know that answer is just weird enough to perk my interest. Let me out and I'll think about it." Free snapped his fingers and the ice shattered. Shizou stood up and grabbed Free by the shirt and dragged his head forward so that his nose struck Shizou's skull cap, leaving Free with a bloody nose, which quickly closed up.

"Follow me," Shizou said, "Hey boss, I'll be taking the next few days off." He added.

"Right," The other man acknowledged and walked away. No matter what was about to happen he wanted no part of it.

Skip

Celty Sturluson, the headless rider of Tokyo lived in a small apartment with a mob doctor named Shinra whom she was rather much in love with. They ran a less than legal life. He ran an unlicensed medical practice for Tokyo's criminal underworld which she ran messages for them throughout the city. Together they made ends meat and spent their free time arguing and looking for her head just like any other young married couple. She often wondered if her relationship with him was wise, she had known him for over twenty years since he was a little boy. She had watched him grow up and had never aged a day during that entire time. Still she loved him and he always gave her a shoulder to cry on when she needed it. Today however they had spent the day talking about his fears.

"And then he just walked off to find Shizou without a care in the world!" He shouted clearly exasperated. She had never seen him like this before. Apparently he had met some weird man in the city who seemed to be looking for her and the strongest man in the city. He was worried about her but to be honest she wasn't. She was rather interested in this man, he seemed to know something about the one topic guaranteed to hold her interest, her past.

Celty knew nothing about her past. Most of her memories were inside of her head which had been separated from her some years before. She was always ready to learn something about what she had forgotten. It was in many respects one of the few reasons why she soldiered on after twenty fruitless years of looking for her head. The other was Shinra himself.

She pulled out her mobile phone and tapped out short message on the key board and turned it to him. Without lips of her own it was her only way to communicate. The message read: "Don't worry about it, if he met Shizou in a bad mood, which he is certain to do, he won't be troubling us again."

At that moment the door bell rang and Shinra turned to it wondering who it could be. He didn't have any appointments for the day and his father was unlikely so show his face here again. He walked over to the door and opened and saw none other than Shizou standing at the door with the mystery man from earlier behind him.

"Hey doc," Shizou said as he stepped inside leading the tall man behind through with him, "This is Free he has a job for Celty."

Free stepped in behind him and looked around the room curiously. He tilted his head to the side like he was listening for something and stood still for several moments. Meanwhile Shinra bowed politely to him and offered his hand in greeting. Free ignored him while he listened.

"Is something bothering you?" Shinra asked.

"Oh it nothing. I just expecting someone to meet me here…" He started,

"Celty!" An overly cheerful voice erupted from the central room where Celty was standing.

"S'up whore." Another, lower gravelly voice said from behind her. Shinra rushed over to the common room and saw that they had been joined by two small boys. One was rather effeminate looking with a slender but curved body and long red hair. He was wearing pink goggles, a short tank top and baggy white pants. He had grabbed onto Celty from behind and was now hanging off of her shoulders and swinging back and forth. His friend was much more masculine, he was also very thin but his frame seemed more angular and sharp. He had green hair and wore a green vest with an up turned collar and the same white baggy pants. He was calmly seated on the top of a book case looking over them like a cat.

"Who are these people?" Shinra cried as he slapped the side of his head in exasperation.

"These are a pair of friends of mine, Ultimo and Vice," Free answered as he came to stand behind Shinra making him feel rather short. The short red haired one smiled at Free and swung himself off of Celty and into Free awaiting arms.

"I'm glad you remember us Free but…" He started.

"Remember you? I just found you two a few days ago, you don't expect me to forget you so soon."

"A few days that you spent mindlessly wandering around this city, did it take you long enough to find this place?" The green haired one complained.

"No thanks to you two, why couldn't you just have led me here instead of making me find it on my own, you know what a bad sense of direction I have."

"Well you did find it on your own right? So no harm done." The red haired one answered, "and back to my point were not called Ultimo and Vice anymore, we changed are names to Uru and Vic."

"The hell kind of names are Uru and Vic?"

"They're our names so live with it," Vic stated matter of factly.

"Your names have been Ultimo and Vice for 900 years you can't just up and change them like that."

"Watch us."

"There are entire cults out there where men spend decades memorizing forbidden knowledge just so they can learn your names."

"There not our cults."

"No, your names are Ultimo and Vice and there-" Bang! Blood flew from Free's forehead interrupting his declaration. All eyes turned to Vic who was now holding a smoking berretta sideways.

"What was that?" He asked, "I couldn't hear you over the gun fire. Anyway our names are now Uru and Vic; any questions?" Shinra stepped in front of Celty protectively who was now holding a very long scythe. Shizou had taken the cigarette out of his mouth and was very close to snapping it. Uru had flown out of Free's arms and had landed on another book case opposite Vic shaking his head disapprovingly.

"You god damned bastard!" Free shouted as he rose back up utterly shocking Shinra and Celty. He had also coated one of his arms in a very large and sharp icicle. He rushed forward and grabbed the gun from Vic's hand and swung forward when suddenly Uru appeared right in front of him. Free stopped dead in his tracks with the icicle a fraction of an inch away from Uru's heart.

"Free, I would just like to thank you for tolerating Vic's impulsive behavior and remind you not to freak out the immortal that has lost her memory." Uru said and as he spoke he grabbed the icicle in Free's hand which started to melt to his touch.

"Tch." Free sighed and backed off.

"You were just shot in the forehead!" Shinra declared unable to contain himself any longer.

"Yeah," Free answered wiping blood from his head to reveal that the hole had already closed up. "I'm immortal."

"And the little red haired boy is floating several feet off the ground!"

"Him too," Free added as he turned the pistol at Celty and pulled the trigger putting a hole in her chest. She shuddered for a moment and then the hole closed up on its own even pulling her blood back into her. "So is she."

Celty pulled out her phone and typed out the message: "You had better explain yourself."

"Take a seat this will take a while." Free suggested as he took a seat opposite and Vic and Uru returned to their book cases.

"You're immortal." Free Started, "One of thirteen who have walked the earth since before it was even an earth at all. We are the keepers and guardians of humanity, we were placed here to keep the four gods reigning over the earth in check and balanced. For thousands of years the gods of Death, Life, Power and Weakness kept to themselves and preformed their necessary work and everyone got along pretty well. About twelve hundred years ago a group of magic users called witches started overthrowing countries and people cried out to the God of Death: Shinigami-Sama to stop them. To do this he recruited eight powerful warriors to assist him called the warlords and made he them ageless. One of those warlords was named Asura. Asura was a coward at heart who sought power to cover his own weakness and fear. His greatest fear was of Death so he sought out one of the Immortals and tried to steal his immortality with a bet. The Immortal was called the Coyote.

"The Coyote was a trickster. He protected his followers from misfortune and bad luck by sending it on to others. He was almost universally hated. Asura made a bet with him that the Coyote couldn't go ten years without playing a prank on anyone. The loser would lose that which was most precious to them. Asura was confident that the Coyote couldn't go more than a few minutes before losing the bet. But he was wrong, the Coyote was a helpless trickster but he was also brilliant. In order to win the bet the Coyote simply went to sleep for ten years. When he woke up he sent a warrior to Asura's home and helped the warrior kill the warlord's family.

"The loss drove Asura insane. Before long he began consuming the souls of humans and turned on Shinigami-sama and became a Demon God. Shinigami blame the Coyote for the loss of his friend and commissioned a genius to make a weapon capable of slaying an immortal. That weapon was called Brew and it worked by altering history so that the Coyote never existed and with this weapon, Shinigami killed the Coyote.

"Which was bloody stupid. It put all of history at risk and nearly caused a war between heaven and hell which could've destroyed all of creation. The only thing that prevented this was that the other twelve immortals including you and me, swore to avenge him by killing Shinigami-sama. The only way to kill a god is to have him usurped by a new rising god, so we backed Asura in his war against the Death God and fought against him and his warlords for four hundred years.

"Nearly won too, killed four of the warlords and sent the rest into hiding. We also convinced dozens of countries to join us against him. It was the witches who ultimately betrayed us and convinced Asura that we were plotting against him behind his back. After he was deceived Asura fled into the great American desert where the Death God hunted him down, ripped his skin off and imprisoned his rival in a huge fortress.

"We went into hiding and the Shinigami founded his Shibusen who now effectively rule over the earth with an iron fist. Six months ago Asura escaped and now we have a chance to avenge our fallen brother and finish what we started all those years ago. So you in?" Free concluded abruptly.

"Oh course not!" Shinra started,

"I wasn't asking you," Free dismissed.

Celty started typing, "What about my head?"

"We don't need it," Vic answered.

"It will still be here when you get back," Uru added.

"Celty you're not seriously thinking about doing this are you?" Shinra asked.

"I've got to." She typed, "I don't know why but…"

"You can feel it in your bones." Uru finished for her, "It's as basic as the impulse to find your head. It's part of the lore really, the immortal must be avenged."

"But this is dangerous!" Shinra protested.

"Not for her, she's immortal," Free pointed out.

"What about that weapon you mention, 'brew'?"

"That has spent the last seven hundred years trapped inside an electromagnetic hurricane, it will take years to repair and even if it is it only has one more shot. I doubt Death will use it on Celty."

"But-"

"It really is a noble thing to do," Uru explained, "Death broke a very old and powerful law, if earth doesn't deal with it on our own the Old One will demand Justice. The Elder will never give up one of their own, which will lead to war which Heaven and Hell will become embroiled in and the earth itself will be destroyed. Along with everything in all creation. Personally I'm surprised they waited this long before intervening."

"Then I'm coming with you!" Shinra exclaimed.

"Absolutely not!" Vic ordered, "A little rat like you will only slow us down. Shibusen has armies of elite warriors anyone who hasn't spent their life time preparing for this is just marching to the slaughter. Besides when one spouse goes off to war the other must stay behind to give them something to come home to."

"But-but," Shinra stammered.

"Don't worry man, I'll go with her and keep her safe." Shizou suddenly spoke up.

"Oh and you all aren't going to object to him coming along."

"He's a berserker." Free answered, "I already asked him to come with us. Well that's that. Now I need to get going."

"Oh, you have to wait for Saika to show up first." Uru insisted. At just that moment a knock came at the door. "Ah that will be her." Uru declared as he rushed over to the door and threw it open. On the other side was a young girl in a blue school uniform with black hair and dark red eyes, Uru immediately threw his arms around her, utterly surprising her.

"Hi Saika!" He chipped at her. "Want to help us kill Death?"

The girl was completely bewildered. She had just come up here to ask Celty for some dating advice. No some weird red haired boy had leapt out at her and asked her an impossible question. She wanted to run away from him but from deep inside of her an answer burned and she soon blurted out. "Yes I would."

Skip

In the jungles of South America a catholic priest walked into a seemingly unimportant building that was flanked by heavily armed men. In a room connected to the building young girls powdered cocaine on the watch of well armed warriors. In another room a pair of older men were talking about real-estate deals in the united states. The priest ignored them all but walked to an unimportant back room. In the room a young girl with pink hair in a black kimono was swinging idly on the massive armored arms of a man sitting behind her. His armor was black with a red dragon painted on his chest and he wore a large helmet with a single slit across where his eyes would be. The priest handed him a note and spoke to him.

"The Black Clown and your escort will meet you in Mexico City don't be late." The knight nodded and the priest left.

Skip

In a small village in the Alps a small village burned as a horde of men in black robes carried bodies of the dead and dying out of the town into the mountains. There they were met by two men. One was wearing tattered jeans a nondescript shirt and a back pack with a welcoming smile and wild eyes. The other was dresses like a lab worker with blood stained gloves and a bandolier of syringes. The crowd approach them will hopeful eyes and bright smiles.

"Hail walker of the earth and master of life and death." Their leader declared.

"Hail worthy servant of the forgotten path." The man in tattered jeans answered, "Rejoice for the rapture is at hand. We march to drive the last of the elder from the earth!" The people behind him shouted with glee and anticipation.

"We have brought theses sacrifices for your brother." The leader continued throwing the murdered corpse over his back onto the ground.

"Are they fresh?" The lab worker asked.

"Of course."

"Good." He said as he drove a needle into the body on the ground. For a moment it shook viciously, frothed at the mouth and then it stood up with a moan.

"You know what I call this?" The Walking man asked the good doctor next to him, as he looked out over the burning village before them.

"What?"

"A good start."

Skip

In the Caucus Mountains high above where mortals dared walked the black rider returned to his fortress. Even in the pale light of the evening the fortress glowed and the shadows of many thousands of men gathered around the gate. There were only five thousand of them but every one of them represented hundreds if not thousands more. The Witch King approached the first of them. He was covered in a dark crimson robe, a steal helmet and a veil over his face. He had a saber at his side and an AK47 in his hand.

_Are your people ready?_

"We will march in two months."

_Good._

"Very good indeed." A far darker voice behind the soldier echoed. The crowd parted to reveal a man dressed in long red trench coat, a Carmen San Diego hat and a pair of golden goggles.

_Are your men ready to march out?_

"Always," He answered.

_Where is the man of the North?_

"Right here." A deep powerful voice answered. It belonged to a man with a surprising soft face and long silver hair and silver eyes. "Though I won't be here for long, I will meet your forces in the north with the wind and snow to guide you on your road."

_Perfect._


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter three: Messengers.

In the near limitless desert of Nevada there are two great cities the sight of which can stop a man dead in his tracks. One is the city of Las Vegas but it's not all that important right now. The other is the far grander city of the Death God home of the Shinigami Weapon Meister Vocational Academy. Here young men and women with powerful souls come to master the arts of a weapon Meister and fight to bring order and justice to a world on the brink of chaos. It is also here that those very rare individuals with the power to transform into demon weapons come to learn how to control their destructive nature. Together the two work to make themselves stronger and attain the near impossible goal of hunting down 99 evil human souls and the soul of a witch to create the ultimate weapon a Death Scythe.

It is a very noble task, and nearly impossible. Most of the graduates will join police forces around the world as simple one star technicians and will serve their communities quietly and efficiently. A few from each class will be allowed to join the elite task forces of the Shibusen proper becoming two star technicians. They will become the personal hit men of Shinigami-sama and the ultimate judges in the world. One out of every few thousand would actually complete the impossible task and become a legendary three star technician a wielder of a Death Scythe a personal body guard to the god of death. But it would take many years to do this even after they graduated after six grueling years in the school. That is if it was a normal class.

This year a class had proven itself to be exceptionally skilled. In one class four students had risen to the rank of two stars and one of them had already created a Death Scythe, one of the youngest in all of history. Admittedly, these students were the personal friends of Death's own Son: an absolute genius and a man destined to shape the future of the world, but even he hadn't created a Death Scythe yet so there was no denying the skill of the children.

They were so skilled that Shinigami-sama had already called on them to participate in at least two major battles and had officially organized them into a special squad called Spartoi. Those battles had pushed them to the breaking point but they had withstood the challenge and had arisen all the stronger for it. Even now they were returning from their latest mission. Spartoi had been tasked to rescue Death the Kid from a mad man and in the process had been wrapped up in a battle to destroy his organization. They had survived by the skin of their teeth, but they did survive and were victorious.

They entered the city through its main gate. It was a gate, despite the fact that a major highway ran to and from the city it did have walls and towers and a gate, making it seem more like a castle than a city. The first through the gates was Death the Kid himself. He looked like a spoiled boy, wearing a black suit even in the hot sun, with well groomed hair and pale white skin. His black hair had three white stripes running across half his head but other than that his whole body could've been bisected by a mirror and he really liked it that way. To his side came a pair of much older women, though one of them still seemed to be a teenager while the other was a young adult, both were dressed like cowgirls. They were the Thompson sisters: calmed headed, if a little cowardly Liz and childlike if a little berserk Patty.

Behind them came a young boy with blue spiky hair and a tank top with a high collar, the master assassin Black Star. He was the orphaned son of the insane White Star and had learned to walk the fine edge between madness and compassion for his foes. Next him was a tall girl with long black hair name Tsubaki a long suffering weapon with many forms, uses and wise counsel that was totally ignored by her near idiot partner.

After them came a young African American wearing glasses and short black hair and a collared shirt with drawn up sleeves. His name was Kilik Rung one of the strongest fighters in Shibusen an excellent boxer and good friends to those who could count on him. On his back were two young twins also from the bosom of mother Africa. They never spoke a word and never needed to. They were Thunder and Fire brother and sister they knew each other and their technician so well they could effortlessly guess what the other was thinking.

Bringing up the rear was the most unimpressive looking of the lot, a young girl with blond hair done up in pigtails. She was wearing suit jacket and a short red skirt. Her name was Maka Albarn and despite her fragile looking, and badly injured body she had driven herself to do far more than any of the others. For her partner, the young boy next to her with a yellow jacket on and a red bandana over the side of his head, was Soul Evens the Death Scythe of the squad and their piano player, when he could be bothered to.

They were greeted at the gates by the other members of their squad. A boy in goggles and very short hair flanked by long hair spikes coming off his head like an ox's horns. His name was Ox Ford, he was one of the smartest students at the academy. Behind him was a sharp looking boy with a visor like pair of glasses and all of his hair drawn back into a ponytail. He was Harvar De Eclair the lightning spear and he was as single minded as a thunder bolt. Next to him was a young girl dressed up like a raccoon. The only witch weapon Meister in all of Shibusen history, Kim Diehl. Normally a witch was much too destructive to be trusted with a demon weapon as well but Kim was a healer witch and that kept her from slowly going insane. Her partner was another young girl name Jacqueline O'lantern who saw herself as Kim's protector in many ways both on and off the battle.

"Kid!" Kim called out rushing to great her friends, "It's so good to see you back safe and sound. You had us all so worried!"

"Well I am back now, thanks to all your help." Kid answered.

"But mostly thanks to the amazing Black Star!" Black Star cried as he threw himself into a rant about all the amazing things he had done, conveniently leaving out all that the others had contributed.

"More like in spite of the amazing Black Star," Kilik chided deflating his friend's ego and interrupting his well rehearsed speech. He walked over to Ox and clasped his hand in greeting "Those witches give you any trouble?"

"Never had a chance," Ox answered, he had stayed behind to keep the witches who had transported the squad into the enemy fortress from pulling any tricks on the students. "The moment the ritual was over Kim and Jacqueline herded them back to their cells, apparently full witches don't take well to Kim's healing magic."

"Good to know." Maka added as Soul shouldered her on through the gate.

"Oh Maka!" Kim cried as she saw the cuts and bruises that covered her friend. "Here let me help you with that." She closed her eyes for a moment and white light gathered around her hands and formed a raccoon tail around her waist. She ran her hands over Maka's cuts and they immediately closed up and didn't even leave a scar behind. Kim breathed heavily when she was done, the magic took a lot of her but in a few seconds Maka had completely healed.

"Wow!" Maka gasped as she felt her strength returning, "That's some neat trick you have their Kim. I don't suppose you could use that magic to put Tezca Tlipoca back together could you?"

Kim looked down and shook her head before responding. "Those wounds are well beyond my magic, they took him to Shinigami-sama a while ago, but their other technicians didn't look that hopeful."

"So back to seven Death Scythes then?" Soul asked.

"Probably. Better to ask Shinigami-sama though, speaking of which he does expect to see you all in his office right away."

"Better not keep him waiting then." Death the Kid concluded, he was eager to see his father and not just for sentimental reasons.

Skip

Death himself did not really live in Death City, he lived in his own private dimension inside a mirror inside of the tallest tower of Death City. By living in the mirror he could instantly communicate with just about anyone in the world and could have some privacy to himself. In the past he hadn't had to, if he wanted to talk to someone he could've just flown over to them in an instant. But after defeating Asura in battle he had bound his soul to the land of Death City and couldn't leave it, even though Asura already had.

The students of Spartoi came to his mirror world by walking through a mirror at the top of the Death's tower. The world they entered looked like a barren desert extending in every direction they could see. Around the Mirror was a small stone circle they could easily stand on that was surrounded by sand and thousands of burial crosses and grave stones. Shinigami-sama himself was quite a character. He was covered in a black robe that was spiked enough to make him look like the silhouette of a jet fighter and tight enough to make it seem like he had only one leg. He wore a mask over his face that looked like a small, three eyed, white octopus. The moment Spartoi entered the room Death rushed over to them and lifted his son up off the ground and patted his head.

"Hello there children!" He cried in a nasally, high pitched voice, "It's so good to see you all back safe and sound!"

"Good to see you as well honored father." Kid responded as he pulled away from the hug and set about wiping his hair down and straightening his suit while his face blushed with embarrassment.

"Maka!" a man in a black suit and red collared shirt cried out and rushed to meet her with a similar embrace.

"Maka Chop!" Maka cried out and brought a book down on the man's head. He was Spirit, more often simply called Death's Scythe, and he was Maka's father, though he was divorced from her mother had no paternity rights to her.

"Oh Maka!" Spirit remorsed, "Why are you so cruel to Maka Papa?"

"That depends," Maka answered, "Why did you cheat on Mama?" Death's Scythe paused for a moment utterly dumbfounded by the quick answer. Unable to reply he turned off to a corner and started to sulk to himself.

"So how did your mission go?" Death asked.

"Spartoi successfully freed me," Kid replied, "And we recovered this: the book of Eibon." He added handing the book over to Death.

"What happened to Noah and his followers?" Death asked as he hid the book away in his robe.

"I reaped Noah's soul." Kid said holding up the small red orb, which looked like it was covered in pages from a book, that was Noah's soul and handed it to his father as well.

Death pushed it back into Kid's hand and said, "Keep it, you reaped it is yours to do with as you please. But I advise against feeding it to Liz or Patty, no good could come from that. Best just to send it on."

"I agree," Kid consented taking the soul back into his own robe. "Noah's acolyte escaped during the chaos of the battle as did former Death Scythe Justine Law. Maka claims she fought Giriko and that his soul exploded during their fight. His body is still inside the book utterly lifeless."

"Good to know. I am curious though about how you suddenly gained the power to defeat Noah who was strong enough to kill a Death Scythe in one blow."

"About that," Kid began, "In side of the Book of Eibon is a being who claims to be a god of power. He drove me insane with power, though Black Star freed me of his influence and the power he gave the two of us allowed us to beet Noah. I don't know anything more about him and was wondering who he is and what he was doing in the book."

"Well he probably is just sleeping there. He is a very lazy god after all."

"You mean he actually is a god?"

"Yes of power. He's one of the Old gods whose very nature can drive a man insane. I haven't seen him in millennia though; I thought he had moved on to some other world. Who would've guessed that he had been in the book of Eibon all this time?"

"I would never have guessed that the book was strong enough to capture a god."

"It's not. Power is just very lazy. He used to live in sunken city under water where no one could disturb him. He probable came willingly when either Eibon or Noah offered to let him in."

"We should probably let him out though, he did help us beat Noah after all."

"Of course we shouldn't. Power never took well to humans, if he came out now it would only act as a catalyst for the rising insanity in the world."

"But he could help us find and defeat Asura!" Kid protested.

"Or he could side with Asura against us. He deals out all power equally in his own sight, you can never tell who he will think needs the power more-" Death suddenly paused and looked out over the ground around them. Kid also turned in the direction his father was looking, but he didn't know why. He felt powerfully drawn to some point in the distance for some reason.

"Someone is performing the right of Ante-Exseed." Shinigami-sama suddenly announced.

"What's the right of Ante-Exseed?" Black Star whispered to Maka.

"It's an ancient ritual used to call Shinigami-sama into the presence of a wizard or witch to peacefully converse with him. It hasn't been done in centuries though." Maka explained as everyone listened.

"I wonder who it could it be?" Death asked as he held out his hand and a mirror jumped up into it. He ran his finger over it drawing a few numbers and strange symbols on the glass and it started to glow under his touch. He pulled back a bit and for a moment or two nothing happened.

"SHINIGAMI-SAMA!" A voice cried out as a small red hair boy leapt out of the mirror and on to Death's neck. "It's so good to see you." He added as he locked his legs around Death's waist and hung on to him.

"'Sup you demon spawned git." A green hair boy said as he swung out of the mirror and rested on top of it.

"Vice, Ultimo what a," Death surmised and paused for a second before he added, "Surprise. What brings you two over here?"

"Those aren't out names anymore, we changed them to Uru and Vic." Uru explained. 

"Whatever, what are you doing here?" Death pressed,

"Oh, we were just in the neighborhood and thought we would drop in."

"Then why use the right of Ante-Exseed?"

"Well we couldn't be sure you hadn't taken that mess from a few centuries ago personal now could we?" Vic asked.

"You mean that mess where you-" Death started.

"Oh and who are these little ones?" Uru suddenly asked turning to Spartoi for the first time. He leapt off of Shinigami-sama to them in a single bound and landed right in front of Blank Star entirely to close with a bright smile on his face. "And what's your name?" he asked in a voice just a little too sweet and condescending.

"Black Star?" He answered a little confused and a bit uncomfortable.

"How sweet." Uru responded as he started to dance around Black Star squeezing his arms and looking him thoroughly over.

"He reminds me of White Star." Vic said from his perch over head.

"No he doesn't. White Star was completely and totally insane." Uru said casually as if he had met Black Star's dead father stunning him even further. "And not nearly this cute," Uru added as he pecked Black Star on the cheek and then quickly leapt back before Black Star could slug him, laughing to himself as he went.

Black Star charged the boy but suddenly Shinigami-Sama dropped in between them and picked the student up off the ground. "Oy, oy," Death said, "You two better not have come here with the protection of Ante-Exseed just to taunt my students."

"So these kids are your students?" Uru said, "They have awfully strong souls for students."

"It's good to see the school coming along so well," Vic added, "And to you see finally embracing a bit of madness in your work."

"PATHETIC MORTALS!" Shinigami-sama, who had been getting rather annoyed with the two boys dodging his central question, suddenly cried out, his voice changing from strangely humorous to dark and serious. "Do not waste my time like this, explain why you dare summon the ultimate reality to your presence."

Vic whistled at the display, "Nice theatrics but I would appreciate it if you didn't insult us like that."

"I would appreciate it if you would just get to the point already."

"Fine." Vic said as he jumped down and slid over to Shinigami-sama's side, "We have a message for you. Do you know what day it is?"

"Wednesday?" Death answered.

"I thought it was Tuesday." Uru spoke up.

"Only in Japan," Vic explained and then to Death he said, "And you're wrong too. It's your judgment day."

"And your time to pay, we made a sacrifice." Uru continued.

"And now we get to take your life. Your life is over now."

"Your time is running out, when you thought it was at an end now it's time to kill again."

"Well cut without a knife."

"Cause we live in black and white,"

"You're just a parasite so close your eyes and say good night."

"In short."

"You had better get ready to die!" They finished in unison.

"What?" Kid said, breaking the eerie silence that had fallen on the room.

"We are the lieutenants of Kashin-Sama and he tires of the sight of you reigning over the world." Uru revealed.

"So he has ordered your execution. We are going to come here, burn this city to the ground, kill you, burn your body, grind your soul up into a fine powder and feed it to Asura. Then we're going to dance up and down your grave." Vic added.

"I've already picked out the music too. We're going to do the soldier boy and the Cha-Cha slide."

"And a horn pipe."

"And a horn pipe, cause Vic is a sucker for a good horn pipe and you almost never find them these days."

"I see." Death admitted, "Then you are of one mind."

"All thirteen have already made the oath and we have renewed our intentions." Uru declared.

"Is there any chance of repeal?"

"None." Vic said shaking his head.

"Anything I can do to appease the thirteen."

"You could dismiss everyone from this city and wash your neck." Uru explained.

"And that would earn me forgiveness from you when you all see how I bow to the law?"

"No," Vic stated, "But it would mean that we could make it quick and painless and wouldn't dance on your grave for as long as we had intended. "

"I see then. Well you all leave me no choice but to resist."

"We understand." They said together again.

"Wait a minute here." Black Star suddenly shouted, "Back up what exactly are two saying?"

"That we represent a group that has decided to kill Death and join the Kashin." Vic said with a role of his eyes.

"So basically your saying that you're our enemies determined to kill us?"

"Not you just Shinigami-Sama," Uru clarified, "but if you try to stop us we can't guarantee that you will live through the battles."

"Just checking." Black Star said, then he balled up his fist pulled his arm back and smashed Uru in the chest releasing his spiritual energy to surge through his enemy's body.

SNAP! Uru's head flew forward as his chest was driven back. He staggered a few steps backward as Black Star looked at him with stunned eyes he hadn't the boy's body to be so soft and fragile. Uru smiled at him as blood started to run out of the corner of his mouth.

"Oops." He said between gasps of breath as blood flew from his mouth, "Looks like you killed me."

Shinigami-Sama threw his hands forward and released a blast of energy that drove Black Star and Spartoi back away from the dying boy. Vic also jumped away from his partner. As he did Uru's body began to glow red as lightning danced around his arms and eyes. Then he exploded. The room shook from the force as fire and lightning rushed outward and coated everything within fifty yards of the boy in their golden blanket of death. Even Shinigami-sama jumped out of the inferno. He realized to late the Vic was now right next to him.

"Up yours murder." Vic declared as he pulled a bazooka out of nowhere and fired on the Death God. Shinigami-Sama flew up into the air and as he did a column of fire rushed up from the ground and slammed into his side and sent him flying. Spartoi looked on in stunned silence as the column formed into an arm pressed against the ground and lifted up a massive ball of fire into the air. The ball shifted into a torso and released more pillars of flame to form arms and legs and even a head with white shining eyes and a wide smile made of sizzling electricity. He held out his hands and his flaming fingers extended into a pair of massive fans.

"Don't you little jack wads know anything?" Vic asked as the bazooka he was holding seemed to melt down into arm. "He's immortal."

"He's a weapon!" Kid declared as Patty and Liz shifted into a pair of Barrette pistols that he held upside down with his pinky in the trigger guard. As they did the other followed suit. Soul transformed into a large battle Scythe and dropped into Maka's hand. Tsubaki changed into a long black knife that Black Star caught up and held before his face. Fire and Thunder became a pair of gauntlets and covered Kilik's hands. Harvar became a lance with a small lightning bolt on the tip taken up in classic fighting stance by Ox. Jacqueline stood in front of Kim and dropped into her hand as a lantern. Spartoi was ready for war.

"A weapon?" Vic asked sarcastically, "You god damned sniveling little rat faced gits, I'm not a weapon, I'm every weapon." He explained as his arms split in half and several long silver cords and wires snaked out of his body expanding and changing shape till he held a pair of Mg 42s in either hand, two six rocket missal pods on his shoulders and a pair of crossbows with several dynamite tipped arrows around his knees.

"DIE DIE DIE KILL YOU ALL AND MAKE YOU SUFFER!" Vic screamed as he unleashed a full barrage of lead and rockets at Spartoi but they were already scattering. Most of the group tore off to the right, but Black Star ran left hoping to get into his blind spot, but Vic chased him with machine gun fire.

The fire giant behind him swung one of his fans in front of Black Star and pillar of fire flew out and formed a burning wall before Black Star. He stopped for just a moment and leapt back up over the hail of lead that was following him. The giant's eyes flared and his other fan changed as bolts of white lightning danced around its edges he flipped it forward and smashed Black Star into the wall with several surges of electricity.

Maka was the first to get right behind Vic and she immediately leapt up into the air before he could get a proper bead on Black Star. As she leapt she whispered the word, "Witch Hunter." And as she did Soul's blade began to glow with energy and extended into a white crescent moon and she swung forwards. As she did the Giant flicked a fan at her and the as wind from is rushed over her the moon vanished leaving only Soul's normal blade behind. She cursed under her breath and swung anyway. Soul struck Vic but couldn't pierce his flesh.

Vic smiled, dropped his guns and held out his hand in the air, two silver whips curled out and formed into a broad sword. He turned to swing. As he did Kid leapt up his side with both of his own guns lined up on Vic and he pulled the triggers. Vic saw him though and jumped back away from Kid his sword lengthening into a riot shield blocking Kid's shots. The giant didn't wait though, he turned and threw a massive fire ball at Kid who wouldn't have time to dodge.

"Soul what happened?" Maka asked as they fell back.

"That giant manipulated out energy and dispelled witch hunter." Soul said from his inner world with in his scythe body. He stepped a bit deeper into himself to a small room with a grand piano in the middle of it and small demon in the corner. "To bad he's not the only one who can do that. Maka focus on that fire ball and let's even up the odds a bit."

Maka focused her very, very precise senses on the fire ball rushing towards her friend twisting her spirit into strings around it. The Soul struck a key on his piano and began to play some gradually slowing music. As he did the fire ball shrunk in size and twisted away from Kid allowing him to easily dodge it. The giant turned and glared at her.

"You god damned bastard." Vic declared as he appeared besides her with another long sword in his hand, this one was serrated with a guard on it that looked like a turtle. "How dare you challenge our rule of energy."

He swung and then he paused mid swing as a chain formed around his blade pulling it back and Black Star rushed in behind him. Tsubaki had changed into a longer thicker knife with a spiked guard and a long chain running behind her which had paralyzed Vic's sword. He drove the knife into Vic's side and cut deep into him.

"You know I wish all of my targets had as many openings as you." Black Star mockingly said, but as he did Vic pointed at his side with a finger that suddenly elongated into a small knife and stabbed Black Star in the same place.

"And I wish all my opponents were as dumb as you." Vic declared as he threw the wounded Black Star away from him. Once Tsubaki was removed from his side the wound closed up in an instant. "Didn't I already say it? I'm immortal." He added dripping with mocking confidence.

As he did Maka suffered a flash back to the one time she had heard such a statement before. On a bridge to London town where she had met the man of the demon eye. Her mind rushed through that battle where she had nearly died. She remembered the futility as she cut and smashed her adversary only so see every one of his wounds close up in an instant. He had been the legendary werewolf.

"Vice and the Ultimate?" She said to herself remembering what Shinigami-sama had originally called them. Her mind raced back to a book she had red an awful long time ago.

"Earth and Fire. Good and evil. Yin and Yang." She added as she remembered and slowly stepped backwards form the green haired boy before her. "You're the immortal twin spirits of the phoenix."

"Well give the girl a silver dollar." Vic said with a widening smile, "Most people have to be told just before they die. Anyway you should die now." He concluded as he resumed his swing.

"SHINIGAMI CHOP!" Shinigami-sama cried out as he appeared from nowhere smashed Vic in the side of the head and sent him flying backwards. He then followed up the attack with a blast of light form the eyes of his mask. The giant intercepted the blasts as it wrapped Vic up in protective fire coming between him and the Death God. The giant also brought his two fans together causing fire and lightning to swirl into one shining ball in his hands.

"Think very carefully about your next act Uru." Death said as he reached over to Spirit who had been very silent in the battle. Spirit immediately shifted forms into a jet black scythe blade and fell into Death's hands. "The right of Ante-Exseed is a pact that neither of us will attack the other. Please don't make me break it as well."

The giant cocked his head to the side like he had just sighed and began to shrink and condense himself around Vic. Within a second or two he had resumed his form as the small red haired boy he had been when he arrived.

"All right Shinigami-sama, we'll wait until the battle proper to take you down." As he spoke a few silver cords left Vic's side and formed into a mirror behind them. Then a bit of fire leapt from Uru's back into the mirror causing it to glow brightly. "See you all soon kids." He added as he stepped through it and vanished.

Vic held back for a few seconds. He looked over at Black Star. "Hey idiot." Black Star returned his stair.

"Next time you lay a hand on my Uru like that I'll grind you up into dog food. Got it?" Then he left as well. For a long time silence rained over the room, Kilik was the first to break it.

"The hell was that?" He demanded to know.

"Hmmmm." Death said in his nasally voice once more. "Complicated. Well Spartoi you are now dismissed, please heal your wounds and prepare for future assignment. Oh and Maka if you could run down to the infirmary and gather up the Death Scythes there and bring them back here. I need to have a long chat with them as it appears we are now a war with the clan of the thirteen immortals."


End file.
